Bay Bridge fix cost estimate: about $1 million

Fix for three dozen broken steel rods

In 1936 the Bay Bridge opened, connecting the East Bay to the city of San Francisco. A few years after it opened, the state of California started charging a quarter to cross the bridge. Click through this slideshow to see how the Bay Bridge toll has increased through the years.

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In 1936 the Bay Bridge opened, connecting the East Bay to the city of San Francisco. A few years after it opened, the state of California started charging a quarter to cross the bridge. Click through this slideshow to see how the Bay Bridge toll has increased through the years.

u local

The fix for the nearly three dozen steel rods that broke on the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will cost about $1 million, according to a state transportation official.

Tony Anziano, a California Department of Transportation toll bridge program manager, provided the estimate to the San Francisco Chronicle, which reported it Monday. The bridge's planned Labor Day opening is not expected to be delayed.

The rods that snapped last month after they were tightened connect steel earthquake safety devices called shear keys to the bridge's deck and a large concrete cap.

At least some of the failed rods are located beneath that cap and cannot easily be replaced.

Crews instead will have to create two metal collars that will provide room for new rods to be inserted, Anziano said.

The bridge, which is replacing the span damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, is designed to withstand a major temblor.

Tests have discovered hydrogen in some of the damaged steel rods, which is an indication of weakness in the metal.

Anziano said Caltrans is conducting a complete review of the fabrication and supply process for the bolts.